Kane County Students Bring Student Voice to the Board of Education Table
Every school district in Kane County has a Board of Education that sets policy, approves budgets, and decides what's offered to students. In some of those districts, a high school student sits at the table when those decisions are made.
A new episode of The ROE Link, the Kane County Regional Office of Education's video series highlighting resources and opportunities for students, families, and educators, features representatives from School District U-46, West Aurora School District 129, and Kaneland School District 302.
Each student was chosen through an application process that, depending on the district, included essays, teacher recommendations, and interviews with school and district leaders.
Kaneland's representative, Aleena Alrifaee, said she wanted a say in the decisions that shape her school. “I wanted to be student representative because I really like the involvement," she said, “and I really wanted to be a part of the process to make all those decisions and ultimately have an impact at my school." At each board meeting, she closes with a student recap of what's happening in the district, so board and community members stay aware of what students are experiencing.
At West Aurora, Amy Flores and Anabella Marzullo share the role, building presentations together to keep the board informed about what's happening at West Aurora. Between meetings, they said, their best source of student opinion is staying involved: through extracurricular activities and friendships across grade levels, they hear about what classmates want to see change as well as celebrations happening across the district.
Stefane Flores Martinez, who has attended U-46 schools since kindergarten, said she applied to help more students learn about the resources the district offers. She takes notes at board meetings and brings them to the district's Superintendent Advisory Committee, a group of student leaders from U-46's five high schools, so students' voices can make their way back to the board. “Making change truly comes from listening to the students first," Flores Martinez said.
Regional Superintendent of Schools John K. Jonak said the role benefits both the board and the student. “A board that hears directly from a student gets information it can act on: what's working, what isn't, and how a decision will land before it's made," he said. “And the student learns how decisions get made, which is an education in itself."
Each district shapes the role in its own way, offering a range of models for others interested in adopting student representation. Students who would like to serve can ask their principal or school counselor about opportunities in their district.
Watch the full episode at go.kaneroe.org/boe-student-representatives.
